Saving What We Love
by angel eyes1 uk
Summary: AU The Falcon is captured immediately after the battle of Crait. Most of the Resistance is dead. Violence. Abusive background Reylo. Don't hate me I am a Reylo just fancied a little Ginger Rose angsty fluff. Hux POV


Saving What We Love

There were only five prisoners taken after the battle of Crait.

Thankfully Hux had not been as distracted as Ren by the appearance of his old Jedi uncle and had seen it as the diversion it was. A Star Destroyer had tracked the Falcon as it left the atmosphere and a well placed shot had taken out its hyperdrive. That slippery little fish hadn't come quietly, but eventually the battered and beaten freighter had been tractor beamed into the Star Destroyer's main bay.

Of course, after the debacle of the ground assault Hux had not gotten the credit he deserved for saving the day. The only bone he had been thrown was when Ren had selected prisoners—his Jedi girlfriend, his mother, the pilot Poe Dameron, the Wookiee and the traitor FN-2187—and ordered the rest of the Resistance be immediately executed. Hux had spoke up and requested that the harridan from the Otomok system that had bitten his finger be imprisoned also. Apparently she had been badly injured in the battle on Crait and was unconscious onboard.

"Fine," had been Ren's response. "I will personally escort the Jedi to my quarters. The rest place in cells, unless General Hux has any particular requests for the unconscious engineer?"

Hux scowled. What did Ren take him for? "Place her in cells also." Hux did not miss the death stare as the traitor FN-2187 was led away in silence with the others.

Ren was unavailable and remained in his quarters for most of the next 48 hours, and so naturally it was left to Hux to put arrangements for the public execution of the last surviving members of the Resistance, save Rey who Hux was well aware was Ren's to deal with. The execution was to be broadcast across the entire galaxy to show that the Resistance had failed.

When Hux called at Ren's quarters to inform him of the arrangements, after a brief force choking for interrupting, Hux saw for himself exactly the punishment Ren had in mind for the Jedi. The girl had a Force inhibitor around her neck and was tied up naked on the bed.

Hux spared her a moment of pity for being the outlet for the beast's lusts, and wrinkled his nose at the smell of sex in the room.

"The engineer is not scheduled for execution with the rest?"

"Ah, no. Once the others are dealt with I plan on interrogating her. I have not been able to thus far due to her injuries. She may have some useful—"

"Fine. Do what you will." Ren gave him a look that seemed to imply that he clearly thought that Hux intended to rape her into submission as he was doing to the Jedi. "It is not as if she is a famous name that people need to see snuffed out. She is a nobody. You may leave."

Hux felt incensed but knew better than to speak up at this moment. As he turned and walked away he hoped that the Jedi would free herself and slice Ren in half the same way she had Snoke. The thought brought a smile to his face.

Hux arrived at the cells on the morning of the execution to escort the prisoners. General Organa was uncharacteristically subdued, no doubt by the prospect of her son giving the order to kill her. That was one family that made his own seem relatively normal and loving, which of course it wasn't. Hux's lip curled at the thought of his father.

The wookie struggled and a number of guards were allocated to him alone. FN-2187 and Dameron were also vocal.

Hux spared a look at the door of the engineer's cell, plain save for the number on the door. He wondered if the engineer had heard the commotion and was expecting someone to open her door and take her too. Although meticulous plans had been made, the prisoners had been left entirely unaware of the arrangements for meeting their fate.

He would come down afterwards, Hux decided, and explain to her that all but one of her comrades were dead and the reason that she herself remained alive.

The largest room onboard had been filled with personnel, with a large stage at the head. A throne had been made for the Supreme Leader and while it was nothing of the scale of his own speech on Starkiller Base, Hux was pleased that with the angles of the camera that it would all come across well.

The prisoners were lined up on their knees, an Executioner Trooper to the side of each.

And then the Supreme Leader came in, maskless, and lowered the tone. His Jedi was dressed scantily in something black and diaphanous, led behind him by a chain which fastened to her force inhibitor. Hux saw the moment her eyes registered what the gathering was for, shock, anger, desperation...

Hux had seen the rare holovid of Leia Organa slaying Jabba the Hutt. He allowed himself a brief fantasy of Rey the Jedi repeating history with Ren. Now that was a warming thought.

Leia's eyes followed her son and her mouth pressed into a hard line. The wookie warbled and FN-2187 yelled "Rey".

The Jedi struggled against her chain but Ren brought her to heel like a dog. Hux remembered the cameras and kept his face blank but inside he chastised Ren for his total lack of decorum.

Ren didn't even bother to stand for his speech. "Today the Resistance is brought to an end. The last remaining Jedi is in chains and will submit to me, in all ways."

Hux found it hard to hide his discomfort and shifted somewhat. So crass.

"For treason against the First Order, for intention or incitement to carry out acts of insurrection on the Supremacy and for terrorist acts leading to the murder of thousands on Starkiller Base Stormtrooper FN-2187, Captain Poe Dameron of the Resistance, and the wookie, Chewbacca are hereby sentenced to death." Upon Hux's nod the Executioners stepped forward and struck cleanly.

"And you, General Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, biological daughter of Senator Padme Amidala and Darth Vader, for war crimes carried out against both the Empire and the First Order, leading to the death of millions on two Death Stars and Starkiller Base, for corruption and abuse of power in your role of Senator, I hereby sentence you to death."

This time before the Executioner brought his axe down he froze.

"I love you, son. Ben, I know there is still good in you. I feel it!"

It took Hux a moment to realise Leia Organa was using the Force. The Supreme Leader looked unsure and hesitant in the face of his mother. This show of weakness wouldn't do, not broadcasted across the galaxy. Hux stepped forward and fired his blaster before Leia Organa could turn her sorcery against him. The light left her eyes and she slumped to the ground.

Hux found himself swept off his feet and flying through the air. He landed with a crunch on a row of Stormtroopers. He'd broken ribs again, he was sure.

Was it too much to hope that Rey could use the distraction to get that chain around the Supreme Leader's neck?

Later when he was reviewing the footage, he felt utterly mortified at the impression given to the entire galaxy. Many had put two and two together and realised that the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren being the son of Leia Organa made him Ben Solo, also the son of Han Solo, Rebellion hero and smuggler, and worst of all, the grandson of Darth Vader. The news was spreading like wildfire and Ren's lineage was no longer the knowledge of a select few.

Darth Vader was a divisive figure. A person either admired or despised him. Everyone knew his reputation. And now his grandson was Supreme Leader of the galaxy. The same 'Supreme Leader' who had had a lip wobble when Leia Organa had called him son and reacted like an angry toddler when once again, Hux had been required to avert disaster.

Hux had initially been pleased at the decisive way he himself had strode forward and completed the execution but felt his face grow red as he watched the Supreme Leader send him flying, demonstrating his Force power on live holovid.

Not the picture of strength and unity he had wanted to present to the First Order's subjects. He would order Public Relations to edit the video with images of the executed prisoners' crimes and the executions themselves. Hux sighed as he recognised this wasn't enough to wipe the memory of the Supreme Leader weakening over his mother and abusing his own General. Let alone dragging the Jedi Rey around like the sex slave she was being used as.

Not at all the impression he wanted to give. He wanted to show the absolute dominance of the First Order, how the Resistance had crumbled and even the mighty Leia Organa, who had been a key leader within the Rebellion that had overthrown the Empire, had fallen. He had wanted to deter any future uprising. Hux would have given a better speech too.

Ah well. What was done was done.

After editing, Hux headed down to the cells and asked for the engineer to be brought to him in one of the interrogation rooms. He asked for her to be chained to the table for his own safety. He hadn't forgotten their first meeting.

He could see that her eyes were red from crying, but the jut of her jaw was still defiant.

"As you have no doubt guessed, your fellow Resistance prisoners, the wookie, Leia Organa, Poe Dameron and FN-2187 have been executed."

She looked down and had a moment, before gathering herself and asking "What about Rey? Is she still alive."

"Yes, she is still alive, although I can imagine she would rather she wasn't."

"What do you mean?"

Hux swallowed his distaste. "She is being held in the quarters of Supreme Leader Ren." He left the rest to the imagination. The girl was clever and his message was understood.

"Is that what you intend to do with me?"

"Goodness, no!" Hux got to his feet and started pacing. "Nothing like that at all. I don't rape people. What do you take me for?"

"You raped Otomok."

"The First Order took its resources, yes."

The girl glared at him and he decided to move on, grabbing his holopad.

"Name, rank and number." Her response was spat back at him. He began the interrogation but became unnerved when Ms Tico started laughing at him.

"If you wanted information you picked the wrong person. I work maintenance."

"But you figured out how we tracked you through hyperspace? You were sent on a mission on the Supremacy to deactivate our tracker!"

"With Finn. With what he knew about First Order tech we worked it out together." Hux watched the play of emotions across Rose Tico's face. It seemed she had had feelings for the First Order traitor. It rankled Hux momentarily until he satisfied himself that the traitor was now very much dead.

"Did the Resistance have a habit of sending maintenance workers on vital missions?"

Hux received another glare. "No one sent us anywhere. It was our own plan."

"Ah, so you were being insubordinate. It's a shame you chose to trust that vagrant codebreaker, otherwise it may have been the perfect distraction for the escape to Crait."

After that, Rose Tico clammed up and he sent her back to her cell.

His overriding thought as he sat relaxing in his quarters that evening, was that the Resistance had missed an asset in having someone as inventive and determined simply working maintenance.

It was another couple of days before he had opportunity to interrogate Ms Tico again, and he became concerned that she had not had opportunity to change clothes or shower and felt that this was somehow remiss of him. He thereafter requested some secure quarters (designed for visiting dignitaries whom the First Order may not necessarily wish to have free roam of the ship).

He wanted to be the one to take her to her new rooms and show that he could be a benevolent host. He wasn't sure why, as he had accepted that he was not going to receive any intelligence of substance from her. But still.

Ren himself had questioned Hux about the request for accommodation for the prisoner, pointing out that there was no more Resistance to receive information on. Hux pointed out the recent capture of Temmin Wexley, Resistance Pilot, who was attempting to go into hiding having not been with the rest of the Resistance on Crait. Who knows who else was out there? If they had tech then they would want the advantage of knowing it's weaknesses.

When the rooms were ready, Hux escorted Rose with two Troopers following behind. He scanned his retina to open the suite and then dismissed his men.

"You are going to be here for some time, Ms Tico, and so I thought you best have some access to facilities."

Rose looked around suspiciously.

"The suite is essentially a prison so any thoughts of escape are pointless. I have been made aware that you have been tampering with the vents in your cell."

Another scowl. "What is this for? What do you expect from me?"

Again Hux felt the insinuation in the words. Why did people assume that he was some kind of monster?

"Like I say you are to be here some time. Forgive my bluntness but it would be nice when I come to talk to you that you have had the opportunity to freshen up. I can imagine you would feel a little more human for it."

He pointed out the features of the main living room. The dining area and hatch from which droids would serve meals and how to request the same. The living area with view-screen which had limited access to holovids approved for visiting dignitaries. A work area with desk and computing facilities, pointing out that activity on the same would be constantly monitored and outside communication was disabled. He showed her the well appointed fresher which adjoined the sumptuous main bedroom."

"Your Resistance clothing is to be destroyed and so I have arranged for the wardrobe to be stocked with suitable alternative apparel."

Hux would be pleased to see the back of that dirty yellow/green coverup. It didn't suit her at all and he had chosen the new outfits himself. Rose opened the door to find rows of civilian dark coloured slacks and practical shirts, drawers full of smalls, and comfortable boots.

"How did you know my size?"

"I had you scanned."

"That's rude." Her eyes narrowed. "But thank you. What do I do with my uniform?"

"You have a laundry basket. It will be emptied by housekeeping droids daily."

Hux advised that he would return around 1800 hours for today's interrogation and left her to investigate her new surroundings.

Given the timing, Hux wondered if it would be prudent to arrange for some food. He did his best to recall his favourite cuisines from the Otomok system. When finishing calling in his order, he decided to be frivolous and added a bottle of one of his favourite wines. It had been quite some time since he had had the opportunity to partake in company that wasn't constantly seeking to undermine him in some way. He would say in company that wasn't fantasising about killing him but he didn't think Rose had quite moved on from that stage yet. No knives or forks tonight.

He returned to Rose's quarters at 1800 precisely, priding himself on his punctuality. He smiled as he saw Rose in a crisp, new cream shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, sat at her work desk. He noted she was still wearing her Otomok pendant.

Promptly, the serving hatch opened, droids unfolded and began unloading their dinner. Rose seemed to breathe in the aroma on the air.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rose rushed over to the table.

"It is. I thought given the time we could talk over a meal." Hux felt his chest swell as she looked over what he had provided. He pointed out the traditional Haysian chopsticks.

"Is this some kind of sick joke or trick?"

"Not at all. I enjoy Haysian food. I thought you might enjoy a taste of home."

Hux indicated Rose to sit. Surprisingly she did without further comment, lifting the lid off a basket and closing her eyes as the smell of the contents washed over her. Hux poured them each a glass of wine before taking the seat across from Rose.

"So how did a girl from the Otomok system with your talents end up working maintenance for the Resistance?"

Rose began loading her plate with a selection. "Small talk or interrogation? I told you, I have no information worth your time. I spent most of my time working behind pipes."

Hux picked up his chopsticks and joined her. "Then you were an asset that was significantly under utilised, in my view."

Rose continued to eye him uneasily and once the wine had been drank and the droids had cleared up, they left the table. Hux stepped towards Rose and proffered his hand to shake.

"It has been a wonderful evening. I'm away for a couple of days on business but I will come to speak to you again on the third day if that's okay?"

Rose looked puzzled. "I'm a prisoner. Interrogate me whenever you like."

When he got back to his own quarters Hux had a grin from ear to ear. It had been quite a pleasant evening really. For a captive, Rose was good company and interesting to talk to. He was really quite looking forward to next time.

It didn't take long for things to fall into a routine. After a long day trying to keep the galaxy together, interspersed by moments of abuse from the Supreme Leader and his new apprentice, he would meet with Rose for dinner most evenings and talk about his day.

It was frustrating feeling like he spent every day trying to plait the chaos around him and he enjoyed the peace that came with discussing his latest projects. Rose was indeed was very talented and imaginative and he loved bringing her some new manual to study. She picked new subjects up remarkably fast.

It all helped him tread the precarious line of being third most powerful person in the galaxy, behind an overgrown toddler who had the power to crush windpipes and throw you across the room. And then of course there was his apprentice, come consort, Jedi turned dark side, Lady Rey, who had developed a propensity to use Force lightning and liking for hooded cloaks.

Hux had spent some time considering who was worse. At least Ren's emotions were easy to determine and one had the opportunity to brace oneself. Lady Rey was cold and expressionless, except for that look she wore while you writhed in agony before her as lightning burned you from the inside out.

"We at least managed to salvage some from the debris from Starkiller Base but if we can't find another significant source soon the project simply can't proceed."

Swallowing her mouthful of food, then picking up her wineglass to wash it down, Rose shook her head. "I don't see the fascination with massive moon or planet size super weapons. You don't need them. They take too many resources that you have to strip numerous planets for, making enemies along the way. That's when you start creating the situations that you need a planet killer for and you're in a vicious cycle. Just forget the planet killer and concentrate on infrastructure, trade—you'll find people will see the benefit of joining the First Order and come willingly."

He sipped his wine and hummed to show he was considering her point. The wine was a little sweet for his tastes but Rose's preference.

She'd be right of course. The whole situation around new recruits had shown that. Rose had suggested that rather than conquering worlds and kidnapping young children, that they go to the worlds already ravaged by decades of war and ask for volunteers, with the lure of a fair wage and promises to provide education for the children that weren't required for recruitment at this time, build hospitals, and invest in industry. It turned out that these planets were desperate for assistance and in fact cooperated well, even when previously they had been hostile to the First Order or the Empire.

In fact, planets were clamouring to join in such a scheme. As a result technically there were no active battlefields at this time and the number of Troopers held steady, so the need for recruitment was at an all time low.

Rather than research and development concentrating on weaponry, at Rose's suggestion having looked at the history of the original Death Star, he had set a team of the galaxy's best minds to look further into Galen Erso's work on Kyber crystals with a view for producing clean, safe and efficient energy.

Of course, there was still the problem of passing the big ideas past the devils incarnate, but Ren had never really bothered himself much with the administrative side of things, Rey was empty and uninterested unless you crossed her, and as a result many of Rose's ideas were implemented with barely a passing comment during meetings.

She was so good, so brilliant. And he was so utterly besotted with her Hux didn't even know how to approach the subject.

It was after a breakthrough with the Kyber project that Hux had arranged a nice meal on a private viewing deck with greenery. A garden almost. The deck was booked with strict instructions for no interruptions whatsoever. The table was perfect, the food, wine and candles were perfect, as they orbited an icy blue planet, shining brighter than the surrounding stars in the blackness of space.

He had sent a dressmaker to Rose with instructions to commission something formal she liked. Rose had asked about the occasion, as she had attended a few functions with him previously, but he had kept his secret.

Tonight he was going to tell Rose how he felt. Surely she could tell but he had never quite found the words.

He was waiting for her as Troopers escorted Rose to the door, then took their positions on the other side, leaving them entirely alone.

Hux took a moment to catch his breath. Rose was wearing a tight, sparkly dark blue dress that caught the light and made her shimmer as she moved. Her hair had grown out and worn down, lying on her uncovered shoulders.

"You look absolutely transcendent, my dear."

"Thank you, Armie. You look rather smart yourself."

Hux allowed himself a moment to preen through his nerves. He had never felt so on top of the universe, not even when Starkiller Base had fired on the Republic.

Rose approached the table and smoothed the front of her dress, which made Hux's mouth run dry as it drew his attention to the way it hugged Rose's curves. "Wow! What a view."

Rose was looking out the window but Hux couldn't help but agree from his vantage point.

"I thought we ought to do something to celebrate the successful test. A five minute blast powered the city for a full rotation." Hux tapped a small control pad on the table and soft music began to play.

Rose beamed as she took her place at the table and lifted the chromium lid off her plate. "Ooh, my favourite."

Perfect. All so perfect so far. As usual they slipped into easy conversation about the success of the project and life in general. Once Hux had drank enough wine to feel sufficiently brave he asked Rose to dance. Her smile was so wide as they twirled. She seemed so happy tonight.

Then Hux started to form the words to make his full disclosure.

Which was inescapably ruined when Ren and Rey burst through the door. The mood was sucked away by the skin crawling feeling that followed Rey around like a fog and her creeping cold stare. Ren, as always, felt like a pressurised container of rage, ready to go off at any time.

Rose had met Rey a couple of times at gatherings but if she had been looking for a kindred spirit in her fellow former captive, then it was very clear that they were in different books let alone different pages. No, Rose was a real person. She was warm, lively, caring, beautiful. Rey, well she was like the living personification of death.

As soon as it was polite to do so, Hux made their excuses and took Rose back to her rooms.

"I'm sorry about that. I had left instructions not to be disturbed but I guess no one says no to the Supreme Leader and lives to tell the tale."

Rose nodded. Once in her living room she turned towards him. "It was a beautiful evening apart from the party poopers. Thank you."

Hux smiled, and took a deep breath. The words. He had forgotten what he had rehearsed and instead focussed on Rose's full, deep pink lips, his head lowering towards hers.

And found himself promptly pushed away. "No."

Hux's mind shorted out for a brief moment.

"I'm your prisoner, not your girlfriend."

"But I thought...I thought you liked my company. We work together so well...and I love you. I have done for a while actually. Probably since you bit my finger."

Rose's face softened but her face was sad. She lifted her hand to his cheek. He was embarrassed to note that he was actually crying.

"Armie...you are the man who led the destruction of my planet, who was in command during the battle in which my sister died, who ordered Finn and I to be executed on the Supremacy and who killed Leia Organa, and I set out wanting to hate you and planned to kill you the first opportunity I got."

Hux felt his heart shatter.

"But I have to admit that you turned out to be different than I expected. You're not evil like I thought you were. In fact you will listen to advice and do the right thing. But that doesn't change that I'm your prisoner. I'm locked in this room, day in, day out. Yes, you'll bring me out for special events but with guards with blasters watching me if you're not with me yourself.

"That's not a relationship, that's Stockholm and Lima Syndrome. And I don't want to end up like that thing up there tonight. Rey. But I will if I don't get out of this fish bowl."

Hux calmed himself and hid his tumultuous feelings underneath a facade of calm and removed Rose's palm from his jaw.

"You're right. This is not appropriate. I'm sorry for expressing such sentiments. I apologise and I won't repeat them."

Hux turned and swept out through the door, clenching and unclenching his fists until he returned to his own quarters. Once there he removed his shirt and allowed himself to be the snotty, messy, bawling swirl of emotions he had kept in check for so long.

He did not visit Rose for a week, felt unable to do so. He managed to get through his regular schedule of meetings on autopilot alone. Thankfully Ren was distracted on some mission to track down Sith artifacts and far away.

He gave the order on the seventh day for droids to pack up and store all of prisoner Tico's items into storage crates. After a few moments of meditation and preparation he strode purposefully out into the corridor, along the familiar route to Ms Tico's quarters.

Once there he was pleased to see the quarters already bare of her items, including the little nik naks Hux had brought back from trips to various planets. It was as clean and impersonal as any First Order quarters should be.

Ms Tico called his name a few times as he grabbed her by the elbow and marched her along, out of her rooms, flanked by four Stormtroopers just in case there were any issues. He didn't respond to her at all and eventually he felt her resign herself that their time together was over and there was therefore no need for her to be kept around.

He led her through a set of double doors and ordered the Troopers to wait there, as the next set opened automatically. He felt Rose gasp in shock and that was when he released her arm. The doors slid shut and Hux put in his code to lock them.

In the hangar bay there was a nondescript light freighter, into which Rose's crates were already almost ready being loaded.

"The vessel has had its tracker removed so you can go wherever you like. I've arranged for a selection of engineering equipment on board. I would recommend you chose a quiet planet, out of the way, and use an alias."

"Armie..."

Hux turned and found the heavy metal crate he had kept to one side. "There are credits in here, a lot in fact. Enough for you to buy a property, set up a business, whatever you'd like. It's only a fraction of the savings you've made for the First Order but if I provide any more, it'll be noticed and Ren will enjoy having the excuse to have me killed. I'm on shaky enough ground as it is, letting you go."

Try as he might he couldn't keep the wobble out of his voice at the end as he placed the chest inside the hold of the ship and turned to face her, probably for the last time.

Rose threw her arms around his neck, and pulled his mouth down to hers. He presumed she must be on her tip toes as he wound his arms around her back, pulling her as close to him as she could get.

When they finally drew apart, this time Rose's face was wet, but she was smiling. "Thank you."

It was only at this point Hux decided for sure that he was doing the right thing.

"Your scheduled departure time is in five minutes, so don't dilly dally."

She didn't and Hux was relieved because wasn't sure he could keep a brave face on for much longer. He stayed for launch and until Rose's freighter turned into a blue hyperspace trail.

His evenings became much emptier and that made the need to grit his teeth during the course of everyday business stronger. Often when looking at the state of the galaxy he would often sit and consider, what would Rose advise?

Fifteen years later, Hux was considering retirement. There was only so long someone could run an entire galaxy and keep their sanity, particularly with Supreme Leader Ren and Empress Rey's hankering to quell dissent in the ranks or in local dignitaries with supernatural torture.

Save for the battle of Exogol, when it came to light that Emperor Palpatine had somehow been kept on some kind of life support all of this time and that Rey was his granddaughter, there had been relatively few wars. Exogol had been the only major conflict and at least the combined power of Ren and Rey had been sufficient to defeat Palpatine, while Hux had taken care of the Sith Fleet and ground forces.

Slavery had been abolished, keeping a slave being punishable by death by Force lightning, and the number of children living in poverty was now monitored and at an all time low. Crime, of course, still existed but a special branch of Stormtroopers had been tasked with tackling cartels, smuggling and spice producers.

For the most part, there had been minimal interference in the running of the galaxy by the two Force using figureheads for the last decade or so, as Rey and Ren had gotten to grips with having force sensitive twin boys. It was now that Anakin and Revan were approaching their teenage years and becoming...difficult, that Hux thought that maybe he should leave handling of future issues to others. He had set up a Council of representatives, each covering a different aspect of galactic government, with a system of appointment of new members which was based on merit and achievement of the candidates rather than cronyism. It had all given him grey hair but he was proud of how he had used his position of power to bring order to the galaxy.

Part of him wished he had managed to find a nice woman to settle down with, so he could now concentrate on maybe starting a family of his own. No one was her, however.

At least until he received an invite from Paige Reihtaf of Mokoto Technology to visit their facility. They had invited him a few times over the past years but he had been far too busy. It congratulated him on such success throughout his political career and now that he was withdrawing from the same, offered him a directorship should he feel able endorse their developments in moisture farming technology. It was an area that need new innovation to help bring prosperity to desert planets such as Tatooine and Jakku, and Hux felt intrigued.

He checked out the company which was doing well and was run by a businesswoman in her forties. Not a lot was known about her and she shunned public appearances and photography. She was somewhat of a recluse but clearly brilliant.

Maybe it was time for him to make the change and enjoy a quiet life. He would miss having power but really, his need for the same had been replaced by a wish for peace, quiet, and less stress. And of course, he had always enjoyed developing new technologies.

He responded with his acceptance and the visit was arranged. Ms Reihtaf was to meet him in person at the spaceport in her personal transport, where he was to travel to her estate which was sprawling and private by all accounts.

A driver was waiting with a holopad with Hux's name and title and he was escorted to a stretch speeder. The driver opened the door and he climbed inside.

"Ms Reihtaf?" Had he pronounced that correctly?

"General Hux." A voice spoke from a large swivel chair, facing away from the door. So the reports about her being attention shy were very accurate. "So nice that you are finally here. I was beginning to think you would never come to see my little company."

Hux was about to pass on some pleasantry when the chair turned. Fifteen years had passed but there was no doubting who Ms Reihtaf's true identity.

He stood stunned for a second until Rose's face broke into a smile. "I was thinking Otomok for supper. Help bring back some memories?"

He was still processing when Rose got up and took his hands.

"I hope you like my company. I'm sure we will work together so well...and I love you. I have done for a while actually. Since you took me to dinner and dancing beneath the stars, and then set me free even though I said no to you."

This time, when Hux came in for a kiss, the response was a very enthusiastic "yes".


End file.
